Steelers Now
The NFL has opened Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers themed Kentucky Fried Chicken locations in Mexico. Each is themed with their own Big Box Meals.
All three teams have global marketing rights in Mexico, but the Steelers have the strongest following in the country. The Steelers have had a large fanbase in Mexico since the 1970s, when NBC, which carried most of the Steelers games, was first made available in Mexico.
The #NFL has opened 49ers, Chiefs, and Steelers themed Kentucky Fried Chicken locations in Mexico. Each themed with their own Big Box Meals. pic.twitter.com/0qEr6C4zKT
— Alex Tran (@nineralex) January 16, 2025
TikTok user Lucio Trucíos posted a clip of the Steelers-themed KFC in Mexico. The place is decked out in Black and Gold and filled with Steelers legends jerseys.
The Steelers-themed KFC location is in Coyoacan, which is 29 miles south of Mexico City, the capital and nation’s largest city.
Steelers KFC in Mexico. #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/sLPpcmEp15
— Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh) January 16, 2025
According to a 2015 study by Harvard Sports Analysis, the Steelers had over 500,000 Facebook followers from Mexico, more than the then-St. Louis Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars had in the United States at the time, despite half as many Mexicans having Facebook accounts.
Recently, the Steelers have highlighted that fanbase, creating Spanish social media channels and providing a Spanish radio broadcast. Running back Najee Harris made a team-sponsored trip to Mexico City in 2022, where he announced a Steelers draft pick and hosted a youth football camp.
“We’re fortunate to have fans in other countries,” president Art Rooney II said in 2023. “We’d like to play in front of them once in a while. So, I expect in the near future we’ll be in an international game.”
The Steelers have played in Mexico just once, a 24-23 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the preseason in 2000. Pittsburgh has played in four other International preseason games — 1993 against the San Francisco 49ers in Barcelona, 1996 against the San Diego Chargers in Tokyo, 1997 against the Chicago Bears in Dublin, and 2008 against the Buffalo Bills in Toronto. The 2013 game in London was their lone regular-season international contest.
